The moment reportedly occurred after the funeral of Katharine, Duchess of Kent, on September 16, when senior members of the royal family were leaving the service and waiting for their cars.
According to a Channel 5 documentary, Lip-Reading the Royals, a lip reader believes the 66-year-old used the opportunity to approach his nephew and attempt to repair their strained relationship.
Lip Reader Claims Andrew Tried To Seek Forgiveness
Nicola Hickling, a professional lip reader, claimed that Mountbatten-Windsor attempted to ask William for forgiveness during the brief encounter. According to her interpretation, he said: “I’ve learnt from what I’ve done, but before I forget, and if I can, I’d like to ask you if you can forgive?” per Manchester Evening News.
Body language expert Adrienne Carter suggested the moment appeared extremely uncomfortable for the Prince of Wales.
“I think his body language is screaming, ‘Get away from me, I don’t want to be photographed, particularly engaging with you,'” she said.
Queen Elizabeth II’s former press secretary, Dickie Arbitar, also weighed in on the moment, suggesting William’s facial expression made his feelings clear.
“William’s face said everything, ‘I don’t want to converse with you, push off’. And I think Andrew probably got the message,” he said.
Middleton’s Comment To William After The Exchange
After Mountbatten-Windsor walked away, the Princess of Wales reportedly approached her husband while they stood on the steps of Westminster Cathedral.
Hickling claimed that the 44-year-old then commented on the former royal’s demeanor, quietly telling William: “He seems very sorry.”
According to the lip reader, William responded: “‘Do you think I deserved that’ before asking: “Is that what you mean?” Hickling said Catherine repeated the same remark once more.
Royal commentator Christo Foufas later pointed out that although Mountbatten-Windsor may have appeared apologetic, he never actually voiced the word “sorry.”
“He might have seemed sorry Princess Catherine but those words did not leave his mouth, he didn’t actually say sorry did he,” Foufas said.
Strained Relationship Between William and Andrew
Prince William’s relationship with his uncle has reportedly been strained for years, largely due to the controversy surrounding Mountbatten-Windsor’s connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and allegations involving Virginia Giuffre, which he has consistently denied.
Daily Mail royal editor Russell Myers addressed the situation in his book William & Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story, writing that William took a firm stance regarding his uncle’s future within the royal family.
Myers claimed the prince had urged Andrew to settle the civil case brought by Giuffre to avoid further damage to the monarchy.
“Talks gathered at pace concerning Andrew’s ‘ultimate gamble’ of demanding to be tried by a jury in the case,” he wrote. “In private, William again voiced his concerns to his father that his disgraced uncle should seek to settle the case to avoid further scandal.”
“The duke would eventually choose to settle with Giuffre for £12 million ($16 million) on 14 February, £2 million ($2.7 million) of which was set as a donation to her personal charity for sex-abuse victims,” he added.
Myers also claimed William went further by suggesting that his uncle should not attend royal events at all. However, the idea was reportedly rejected by then–Prince of Wales Charles.
According to the author, William respected his father’s decision but remained firm in his own views. He was “privately adamant that when he became king, the Duke of York would have absolutely no place within the royal fold, publicly or otherwise”.
Mountbatten-Windsor was eventually stripped of his royal titles following growing scrutiny over his association with Epstein.
On February 19, 2026, Thames Valley Police took him into custody as part of an investigation into allegations of misconduct in public office. He was released after 11 hours.
